Comparing health and social care systems for dementia across Europe: an INTERDEM policy paper
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: People with dementia experience multiple barriers to accessing timely diagnosis and care, primarily due to issues on a care system level. The aim of this Policy Paper was to compare health and social care systems for dementia and unpaid carers across 14 European countries. METHOD: Each country was represented by a clinical or non-clinical dementia care researcher who provided country-specific data on its health and social care system, sense-checked by health and social care practitioners. National policies were searched to inform the country overview of its health and social care system. RESULTS: Except for Norway, health and social care are managed separately. Barring Germany, electronic and paper-based health data are routinely collected. Scotland is the only country that collects social care data that can be linked to healthcare data. Access to health care is free at point of access, whilst social care usage is means tested in Poland, Germany, Ireland and the UK, creating a substantial financial barrier for many people with dementia and carers. Three out of 14 countries do not have a national dementia strategy. CONCLUSION: Health and social care systems are oftentimes disjointed across Europe, lacking adequately linked data infrastructure. Research needs to explore the interpersonal connectivity between care systems, patients and professionals.
Source: Aging & Mental Health
Authors: Clarissa Giebel, Rabih Chattat, Iva Holmerova, Louise Hopper, Jurate Macijauskiene, Megan Rose Readman, Oscar Ribeiro, Anne Marie Rokstad, Anthony Scerri, Dorota Szczesniak, Catherine Talbot, Jochen Rene Thyrian, Lindsay Groenvynck, Marco Brigiano, Gill Windle, on behalf of the INTERDEM Taskforce on Inequalities in Dementia
Institutions: University of Liverpool, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast, University of Bologna, Charles University, Dublin City University, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Molde University College, Sykehuset i Vestfold, Norwegian National Centre for Ageing and Health, University of Malta, University of Wrocław, Wroclaw Medical University, Bournemouth University, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Universität Greifswald, Maastricht University, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Bangor University
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Award: G1424638242
OpenAlex ID: W7153721391